UPDATE: Missing Newburgh girl found safe in Evansville

The search for a Newburgh girl missing from her home since midnight has been called off. Warrick County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marvin Heilman said 9-year-old Essence Rudd was found safe in Evansville.

"How she got to Evansville, we don't know," Heilman said. He said the girl had been missing for approximately nine hours.

The girl was returned to her family around 9:30 a.m. Monday. Heilman said authorities are talking to the family to try to determine where the child had been and how she got to Evansville.

PREVIOUSLY:

A search is under way this morning in Warrick County for a 9-year-old girl missing from her Newburgh home since midnight.

Warrick County Sheriff Brett Kruse said Essence Rudd, who lives at 4822 Scenic Drive, was last seen around midnight running near Meadow Drive and Scenic Drive.

"She's mentally handicapped and got mad and took off running," Kruse said.

Kruse said about 20 people have been searching for Essence within a three-mile radius of her home.

Essence is described as a black female, 5-feet tall and weighing around 80 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink and purple dress with a white collar and denim shorts underneath, a black jacket and black and pink sneakers.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Warrick County Sheriff's Department at (812) 897-1200.